80 ....once we become aware of the complex way God works in our lives, it becomes clear why it is critical for us to be attuned to God's presence and sensitive to His voice. while it is impossible for us to be perpetually aware of His presence because our lives are so harried, we can still snatch brief moments of quiet time each day to listen to Him and become attuned to His unheard voice within us. it is at times like this, though not only at times like this, that we become aware of new insights
81 into ourselves, our understanding of god and the marvelous way he works throughout His creation. you may be sitting, thinking, someday, worried and concerned about the mistakes you mad in the past and all the sins of which you are now so ashamed. you feel humbled and unworthy of God and wonder if He can ever really forgive you, even though you have long since repented of those sins. in the middle of your reveries, a calming though crosses your consciousness, 'Your sins, as humbling as they may be, are all forgiven. they are part of the past and as such they no longer exist. you are now a new person, a new creation, washed clean and renewed in my Blood. you may still make mistakes. it is human. but I also see your love and i know the many good things you do for others in need. so, do not worry! do not be afraid! (note 'I see you as) a good person and I take delight in you. I love you and I am always by your side. so, do not be anxious and do not be ashamed . I love you just as you are.
that insight, which is the way God communicates, while it may have taken only a fraction of a second, can affect your whole life, giving you, as it does the key to finally loving yourself as you are, knowing that God loves you just as you are. you can see from this the simple but highly effective way God works within us as He shares with us His understanding and His insights. it is in this way that we grow. over a period of time thousands of these insights replace our former way of thinking as we gradually grow to become almost a new
82 person. this 'magic' of God's saving and sanctifying grace is expressed in a touching way in the poem about the old violin.
The Touch of the Master's Hand
'Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer
Thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin,
But held it up with a smile.
'What am i bidden, good folks, he cried,
Who'll start the bidding for me?
A dollar, a dollar; then, Two! only Two?
Two dollars and who'll make it three?
Three dollars once ; three dollars twice;
Going for three - But no,
from the room, far back, a gray-haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow;
Then, wiping the dust from the old violin,
And tightening the loose strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet
As a caroling angel sings.
The music ceased and the auctioneer,
With a voice that was quiet and low,
aid, 'What am I bid for the old violin?
And he held it up with the bow.
''A thousand dollars and who'll make it two?
Two thousand! and who'll make it three/
83 Three thousand, once, three thousand twice,
And going and gone, said he.
The people cheered, but some of them cried,
'We do not quite understand
What changed its worth. swift came the reply:
'THE TOUCH OF A MASTER'S HAND.
And many a man with life out of tune,
And battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,
Much like the old violin.
a 'mess of pottage', a glass of wine;
A game - and he travels on.
He is 'going' once and 'going' twice,
he's 'going' and almost 'gone'.
But the Master comes and the foolish crowd
Never can quite understand
The worth of a soul and the change that's wrought
By the touch of the Master's hand.
we are all battered and beaten. we cannot go through life without being scarred. God knows that. He takes it for granted and goes on from there. that is why the story of the prostitute in Simon the pharisee's house is so significant. the woman was far from being a pinnacle of virtue. the only thing that made her stand out was her brand of sin. prostitution is not looked upon kindly by society. Jesus, however, could see past her sin and detect great goodness underneath her tattered reputation and could praise her to the Pharisees at table.
84 there are sins a lot less honorable than prostitution, but we do not penalize their perpetrators. take an upstanding judge who mercilessly sentences to 10 or 20 years a poor black who cannot pull strings to plea bargain, when he would give perhaps only a suspended sentence to a middle-class white person with connections in the exact same circumstances. in the eyes of God that kind of sin is heinous compared to prostitution, but the judge will still be highly respected in the community , while the prostitute will be looked upon with contempt. the remarkable thing about God is that He will still take the judge as He is and see goodness in him as well and will work to transform his life into something ultimately God-like.
the moving story of the 18th century sea captain John Newton has touched everyone familiar with it. after leaving the Royal Navy in disgrace, he became involved in the slave trade, eventually acquiring his own ship. for years he transported slaves to the New World, living a life of debauchery. his life changed one day, though, when during a violent storm at sea he turned to God and begged Him to save his life and the lives of his crew. at the time hew had been reading the Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis, and this had brought back to Newton memories of his own pious mother and strongly influenced his turning back to
god. he later met John and Charles Wesley, who encouraged him to enter the ministry to which he was later ordained. he became best known for several hymns he wrote, one being perhaps the most famous hymn of all time,
85 'Amazing Grace'. like "Amazing Grace' itself, John Newton's life will always be a powerful testimony to the way God lifts us from the depths of our shame and awakens the goodness within us.
God's presence in the world makes itself felt in so many ways, particularly when people care for one another. the way in which the AA movement operates is a continuous manifestation of God's love weaving its way through the lives of people deeply beset by the most horrendous problems. this program always made me think that this is the way the Church should function. members of the Twelve Step program develop an attachment to God that is touching in its humility and wonderfully childlike in its simplicity. it is big and grand enough to embrace people of all religions and races and every variety of pain and sin. it has the all-embracing goodness of God. unlike churches which feel they must segregate people according to rigid doctrinal beliefs and which crusade publicly for high moral righteousness in such a pompous way that sinners are frightened off, this program welcomes sinners and embraces them warmly. the sensitivity of people in the 12 Step program is what genuinely religious people should be like in their airing for one another. No hour is too late, no time too long to help one who is on the verge of giving up or on the brink of despair. their caring for one another is a touching manifestation of what Jesus meant when He said, 'Love one another as i have love you.
every individual in this program could tell you of
86 the miracles of God's grace and the intimate way God has worked not only in their own lives, but in the lives of those they have sponsored or helped. and though they would not call themselves such, they are truly religious. it is clear when you become familiar with members of these programs how much they all depend on each other and who deeply they have affected each other's lives. it makes God's presence in humanity so real and so tangible you feel as if you can almost touch Him.'Where there are two or three gathered together in My name, there i am in their midst. where people touch one another so deeply and so palpably (def - 'stroke, touch', plainly perceived), you know that God is there. "where there is charity and love, there is God.'
I recently received a letter from a person who belonged to AA . he said they used to meet in the basement beneath a church for their AA meetings. these meetings were tough meetings, dealing with everyone's pain and anguish, as well as their little victories and joys. it was the real world. then when they went upstairs for church, they felt they were entering into a sterilized world where all those feelings and real-life experiences were out of place. the contrast was a jolt. maybe we need both, but to those people it was more believable finding God downstairs than finding Him upstairs. that is sad, though perhaps we should join what happens downstairs to what takes place upstairs. religion would certainly be more relevant to the hurting masses of humanity if people could express their hopes and dreams and pain and anguish to one another in the context of
87 religious worship. as it is now our services are so antiseptic and sterile that people gathering for worship relate to others at only the most superficial level, and hardly ever get to know one another.
it is a sad commentary on Christianity. maybe that is one of the reasons why people feel religion is irrelevant, because they cannot find support and solace during times of crisis and pain. that is when real religion should be at its best.
the social aspect of spirituality begins to manifest itself early in our relationship with God. we can sense when He is using us to touch other people's loves. this became very obvious to me when Joshua first came out. I had known for quite a while God was pressing me to write. when i was doing nothing about it the pressure became greater and more insistent, until I decided that the only way I could write was if I resigned from the priesthood, which i was reluctant to do.one day my doctor called me into his office and told me i was fast heading for a stroke and asked what i intended to do about it. half in just I said, 'suppose i retire and just write books? he said it would be the best thing in the world for me, otherwise i probably would not be around by the end of the year. when i finally wrote the book and it began to circulate, letters poured in from people all over telling me how deeply the book touched their live and brought them closer to God. I knew it had nothing to do with me and I could see clearly that it was God at work through the book making people aware of His love for them. it was as if God chose to be powerless until someone allowed Him to work through
88 them, then wonderful thins happened. this is a phenomenon in spirituality that may on the surface appear to be merely a series of coincidences,but the persistence and the timing is so obvious that after a while you know it is God making Himself very much present in your life and serves to seal your bonding to God in a way nothing else could.
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